Method, apparatus and system for configuring a cell

ABSTRACT

A method for configuring a cell is provided. Configuration information of a first cell is obtained, wherein the configuration information comprises position information of one or more multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) sub-frames in a radio frame of the first cell. A radio frame of a second cell is configured according to the configuration information of the first cell. In the method for configuring the cell, interference between the first cell and the second cell is reduced.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/769,697, filed on Feb. 18, 2013, which is a continuation ofInternational Application No. PCT/CN2011/075298, filed on Jun. 3, 2011.The International Application claims priority to Chinese PatentApplication No. 201010255446.0, filed on Aug. 17, 2010. Theafore-mentioned patent applications are hereby incorporated by referencein their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to the field of mobile communicationtechnologies, and in particular, to a technology of configuring a cell.

BACKGROUND

In a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system or a Long Term Evolution-Advanced(LTE-A) system, certain sub-frames of a radio frame may be configured asMulticast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) sub-frames. A MBSFNsub-frame may be an idle sub-frame, namely, a serviceless MBSFNsub-frame; or a non-idle sub-frame, namely, an MBSFN sub-frame used fortransmitting services.

Because the quantity of Common Reference Signals (CRSs) in a MBSFNsub-frame is less than that of the CRSs in an ordinary sub-frame (suchas a unicast sub-frame), the transmission time is reduced. Meanwhile,when no CRS needs to be sent, a Power Amplifier (PA) in thecorresponding Packet Switched (PS) domain may be shut down to savepower, thereby saving energy.

However, after MBSFN sub-frames are configured in the system, theservice sub-frame resources are more centralized. Therefore, with theMBSFN sub-frames being used to save energy of the system, if allneighboring cells are using MBSFN sub-frames to save energy, theprobability of generating interference at the edge of the cellincreases, and the spectrum efficiency is reduced.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the present application provides a method for configuringa cell, where the method includes: obtaining, by a network node,information for configuring a first set of serviceless MulticastBroadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) sub-frame(s) of a first cell;and configuring, by the network node, a second set of serviceless MBSFNsub-frame(s) of a neighboring cell of the first cell by alternating orpartly alternating the second set of serviceless MBSFN sub-frame(s) withthe first set of serviceless MBSFN sub-frame(s) according to theinformation for configuring the first set of serviceless MBSFNsub-frame(s).

In another aspect, the present application provides a base station,including: a receiver, configured to receive information for configuringa first set of serviceless Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network(MBSFN) sub-frame(s) of a neighboring cell of a first cell belonging tothe base station; a configuring unit, configured to configure a secondset of serviceless MBSFN sub-frame(s) of the first cell by alternatingor partly alternating the second set of serviceless MBSFN sub-frame(s)with the first set of serviceless MBSFN sub-frame(s) according to theinformation for configuring the first set of serviceless MBSFNsub-frame(s); and a first transmitter, configured to transmit theconfigured second set of serviceless MBSFN sub-frame(s).

In another aspect, the present application provides a centralizedcontrol device, including: a receiving unit, configured to receiveinformation for configuring serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of anenergy-saving cell from a base station; and a configuring unit, adaptedto configure serviceless MBSFN sub-frames for a neighboring cell of theenergy-saving cell by alternating the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames ofthe neighboring cell with the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theenergy-saving cell according to the information for configuring theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell.

In another aspect, the present application provides a system forconfiguring an energy-saving cell. The system includes the centralizedcontrol device and a base station of the energy-saving cell. The basestation of the energy-saving cell is configured to send information forconfiguring serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell tothe centralized control device.

In the foregoing technical solution, the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames ofthe neighboring cell alternate with the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames ofthe energy-saving cell, thereby reducing interference between cells andimproving stability of the system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method for configuring an energy-saving cellaccording to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structure diagram of a system according to anembodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for configuring an energy-saving cellaccording to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4a-4c are schematic diagrams of configuring sub-frames in a cellaccording to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for configuring an energy-saving cellaccording to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for configuring an energy-saving cellaccording to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of configuring sub-frames in a cellaccording to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structure diagram of a base station according toan embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structure diagram of a centralized control deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present application; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a system for configuring anenergy-saving cell according to an embodiment of the presentapplication.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The following describes embodiments of the present application in detailwith reference to accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a method for configuring an energy-saving cell in anembodiment of the present application includes the following steps.

101: A network node obtains information for configuring servicelessMBSFN sub-frames of an energy-saving cell.

102: The network node configures serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of aneighboring cell of the energy-saving cell by alternating theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cell with theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell according to theinformation for configuring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theenergy-saving cell.

In an embodiment of the present application, the alternating theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cell with theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell includes thefollowing configuration: The serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theneighboring cell never overlap, or partly overlap, the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of the energy-saving cell.

In another embodiment, the method may further include the followingsteps. A base station of the energy-saving cell sends Time divisioninterference Overload Indicator (TOI) information to the network deviceafter detecting that interference exceeds a preset threshold, or thebase station of the energy-saving cell sends Time division HighInterference Indication (THII) information to the network device if theenergy-saving cell uses a high-interference sub-frame. After receivingthe TOI information and/or THII information sent by the base station ofthe energy-saving cell, the network device configures the servicelessMBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cell according to the receivedinformation for configuring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theenergy-saving cell.

Optionally, when the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-savingcell change, the base station of the energy-saving cell sends anotification message to the network device, where the notificationmessage is used for indicating the change of the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of the energy-saving cell. The change of the servicelessMBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell includes: increasing ordecreasing the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell;and the decreasing of the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theenergy-saving cell includes: sending a Multicast Broadcast Media Service(MBMS) in the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell, orconfiguring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cellas unicast sub-frames or other service sub-frames.

In the method for configuring the energy-saving cell, the servicelessMBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cell alternate with the servicelessMBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell, thereby reducinginterference between cells and improving stability of the system.

The network node in the foregoing embodiment includes a base station ofthe neighboring cell of the energy-saving cell or a centralized controldevice. When the network node is a base station of the neighboring cellof the energy-saving cell, the base station of the neighboring cell ofthe energy-saving cell obtains information for configuring theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell, and configuresthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cell by alternatingthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cell with theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell according to theinformation for configuring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theenergy-saving cell.

The following describes the method for configuring the energy-savingcell, supposing that cell A and cell C are under the same base station,for example, evolved NodeB (eNB)1, and cell B is under eNB2, as shown inFIG. 2. In this embodiment, cell A, cell B, and cell C are adjacent toone another; and cell A is an energy-saving cell for which servicelessMBSFN sub-frames are configured. As shown in FIG. 4a , in cell A, cellB, and cell C, sub-frame 0, sub-frame 4, sub-frame 5, and sub-frame 9are non-configurable unicast sub-frames, and sub-frame 1 is asub-frameservice MBSFN sub-frame. eNB1 configures sub-frame 6, sub-frame7, and sub-frame 8 of cell A as serviceless MBSFN sub-frames, andconfigures sub-frame 2 and sub-frame 3 as configurable unicastsub-frames.

As shown in FIG. 3, the method for configuring an energy-saving cell inthis embodiment specifically includes the following steps:

301: eNB2 of cell B and eNB1 of cell C obtain information forconfiguring serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A respectively.

Specifically, eNB2 of cell B may obtain information for configuringserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A, where the information is sent byeNB1 through an X2 interface and may be “MBSFN sub-frame info”, forexample. In other words, eNB1 sends the information for configuring theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A to eNB2 in the neighboring cell“cell B” through the X2 interface, and notifies eNB2 that sub-frame 6,sub-frame 7, and sub-frame 8 in cell A are serviceless MBSFN sub-frames.Meanwhile, because cell A and cell C are under the same eNB, the processof eNB1 of cell C obtaining the information for configuring theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A may be regarded as beingimplemented inside eNB1. For example, eNB1 reads the locally storedinformation for configuring serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A.

Optionally, after eNB1 configures serviceless MBSFN sub-frames ofenergy-saving cell A, as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 2, eNB2 mayobtain information for configuring serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cellA from eNB1 through the X2 interface, or an S1 interface, or an M2interface, or an itf-N interface. Specifically, eNB1 may transmit theinformation for configuring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell Ato eNB2 through the itf-N interface or the M2 interface, that is,through the itf-N interface, the information for configuring theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A, which is sent by eNB1, may beforwarded by an Operation Administration Maintenance (OAM) system toeNB2; and, through the M2 interface, the information for configuring theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A, which is sent by eNB1, may beforwarded by a Multi-cell/multicast Coordination Entity (MCE) to eNB2.Optionally, through the S1 interface, the information for configuringthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A, which is sent by eNB1, maybe forwarded by a Mobility Management Entity (MME) to eNB2.

302: eNB2 configures serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell B byalternating the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell B with theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A according to the information forconfiguring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4b , eNB2 may configure sub-frame 2,sub-frame 3, and sub-frame 8 in cell B as serviceless MBSFN sub-frames,and configure sub-frame 6 and sub-frame 7 as configurable unicastsub-frames, according to the information for configuring the servicelessMBSFN sub-frames of cell A. In this case, the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames numbered 6, 7, and 8 in cell A partly alternate with theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames numbered 2, 3, and 8 in cell B (onlysub-frame 8 overlaps).

303: eNB2 sends the information for configuring the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of cell B to eNB1 of the neighboring cells (namely, cell Aand cell C) of cell B.

304: eNB1 obtains the information for configuring the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of cell B, and configures serviceless MBSFN sub-frames ofcell C by alternating the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell C withthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A and cell B according to theinformation for configuring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell Band the information for configuring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames ofcell A.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4c , eNB1 may configure sub-frame 2,sub-frame 3, and sub-frame 6 in cell C as serviceless MBSFN sub-frames,and configure sub-frame 7 and sub-frame 8 as configurable unicastsub-frames, according to the information for configuring the servicelessMBSFN sub-frames of cell A and cell B. In this case, the servicelessMBSFN sub-frames numbered 2, 3, and 6 in cell C partly alternate withthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames numbered 6, 7, and 8 in cell A, and theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames numbered 2, 3, and 8 in cell B.

Optionally, after step 301, step 3011 or step 3011′ may also beincluded.

3011: When eNB1 of cell A detects that interference exceeds a presetthreshold, eNB1 sends TOI information (for example, a TOI) to the eNB ofthe neighboring cell of cell A. After receiving the TOI information,eNB2 performs step 302.

3011′: When cell A uses a high-interference sub-frame, eNB1 of cell Asends THII information (for example, THII) to the eNB of the neighboringcell of cell A. After receiving the THII information, eNB2 performs step302.

Accordingly, after step 303, step 3031 and step 3031′ may also beincluded.

3031: When eNB2 of cell B detects that the interference exceeds a presetthreshold, eNB2 sends TOI information (for example, a TOI) to the eNB ofthe neighboring cell of cell B. After receiving the TOI information,eNB1 performs step 304.

3031′: When cell B uses a high-interference sub-frame, eNB2 sends THIIinformation (for example, THII) to the eNB of the neighboring cell.After receiving the THII information, eNB1 performs step 304.

Optionally, when the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-savingcell change, the eNB of the energy-saving cell notifies the eNB of theneighboring cell of the change of configuration of the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames. The eNB of the neighboring cell of the energy-saving cellmay configure the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cellaccording to the change of the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theenergy-saving cell. The change of the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames ofthe energy-saving cell includes: increasing or decreasing theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell; and thedecreasing of the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cellincludes: sending, by the eNB of the energy-saving cell, the MBMS in theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell, or configuring,by the eNB of the energy-saving cell, the serviceless MBSFN sub-framesof the energy-saving cell as unicast sub-frames or other servicesub-frames. For example, when the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames in cell Adecrease to zero, cell A quits an energy-saving state, and theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A are used for sending MBMS, or areconfigured as unicast sub-frames or other service sub-frames. In thiscase, eNB1 sends a notification message to eNB2 (and eNB1) of cell B andcell C to notify eNB2 (and eNB1) of the change of the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of cell A. eNB1 and eNB2 may configure serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of cell C and cell B respectively according to the change ofthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A.

In the method for configuring the energy-saving cell in this embodiment,the information for configuring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theenergy-saving cell is transmitted between eNBs, the configuration of theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames between neighboring cells is coordinated,and the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of a cell alternate with theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cells, thereby reducinginterference between neighboring cells and improving stability of thesystem.

If the network node is a centralized control device, as shown in FIG. 5,the method for configuring an energy-saving cell includes the followingsteps:

501: The centralized control device receives the information forconfiguring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cellfrom a base station.

502: The centralized control device configures the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames for a neighboring cell of the energy-saving cell byalternating the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cellwith the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cellaccording to the information for configuring the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of the energy-saving cell.

In practice, the centralized control device may be an OAM system, or anMCE, or another centralized control device capable of implementing step501 and step 502.

The following describes the method for configuring the energy-savingcell in detail, supposing that cell A and cell C are under the same basestation, for example, eNB1, and cell B is under eNB2, as shown in FIG.2. In this embodiment, an OAM system is taken as an example of thecentralized control device. In this embodiment, cell A, cell B, and cellC are adjacent to one another; and cell A is an energy-saving cell forwhich serviceless MBSFN sub-frames are configured. As shown in FIG. 4a ,in cell A, cell B, and cell C, sub-frame 0, sub-frame 4, sub-frame 5,and sub-frame 9 are non-configurable unicast sub-frames, and sub-frame 1is a sub-frameservice MBSFN sub-frame. eNB1 configures sub-frame 6,sub-frame 7, and sub-frame 8 of cell A as serviceless MBSFN sub-frames,and configures sub-frame 2 and sub-frame 3 as configurable unicastsub-frames. As shown in FIG. 6, the method for configuring anenergy-saving cell in this embodiment includes the following steps.

601: The OAM system obtains the information for configuring theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A.

Specifically, eNB1 transmits the information (such as “MBSFN sub-frameinfo”) for configuring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A to theOAM system through an itf-N interface to notify the OAM system thatsub-frame 6, sub-frame 7, and sub-frame 8 in cell A are servicelessMBSFN sub-frames.

602: The OAM system configures serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell Band cell C by alternating the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell Awith the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell B and the servicelessMBSFN sub-frames of cell C according to the information for configuringthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4c , the OAM system may configuresub-frame 2, sub-frame 3, and sub-frame 8 in cell B as serviceless MBSFNsub-frames, configure sub-frame 6 and sub-frame 7 in cell B asconfigurable unicast sub-frames, configure sub-frame 2, sub-frame 3, andsub-frame 6 in cell C as serviceless MBSFN sub-frames, and configuresub-frame 7 and sub-frame 8 in cell C as configurable unicast sub-framesaccording to the information for configuring the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of cell A. In this case, the serviceless MBSFN sub-framesnumbered 6, 7, and 8 in cell A alternate with the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames numbered 2, 3, and 8 in cell B, and the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames numbered 2, 3, and 6 in cell C.

Optionally, after step 601, step 6011 or step 6011′ may also beincluded.

6011: When eNB1 of cell A detects that the interference exceeds a presetthreshold, eNB1 sends TOI information (for example, a TOI) to the OAMsystem. After receiving the TOI information, the OAM system performsstep 602.

6011′: When cell A uses a high-interference sub-frame, eNB1 sends THIIinformation (for example, THII) to the OAM system. After receiving theTHII information, the OAM system performs step 602.

Optionally, when the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A change, theOAM system receives a notification message sent by eNB1, where thenotification message is used for indicating the change of theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A. The OAM system may configure theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell B and cell C according to thechange of configuration of the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A.The change of the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A includes:increasing or decreasing the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A.More specifically, the decreasing of the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames ofcell A includes: sending an MBMS in the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames ofcell A, or configuring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of cell A asunicast sub-frames or other service sub-frames.

In another embodiment, the OAM system in the foregoing embodiment may bereplaced with an MCE, and accordingly, the itf-N interface is replacedwith an M2 interface. Persons of ordinary skill in the art understandthat the OAM system in the foregoing embodiment may be replaced withanother device capable of implementing centralized control.

In the method for configuring the energy-saving cell in this embodiment,the centralized control device configures the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of the neighboring cells, and therefore, the servicelessMBSFN sub-frames of a cell alternate with the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of the neighboring cells, thereby reducing interferencebetween neighboring cells and improving stability of the system.

In another embodiment, if the MBSFN sub-frames are not distinguishedbetween the service MBSFN sub-frames and the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames, it is deemed that all MBSFN sub-frames are energy-savingMBSFN sub-frames. As shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that cell A, cell Band cell C need to be configured, and sub-frame 0 and sub-frame 1 incell A, cell B and cell C are MBMS sub-frames. If sub-frames 2-5 in cellA are configured as energy-saving MBSFN sub-frames and sub-frames 6-9 incell A are configured as unicast sub-frames, it is appropriate toconfigure sub-frames 6-9 in cell B as energy-saving MBSFN sub-frames,configure sub-frames 2-5 in cell B as unicast sub-frames, configuresub-frames 4-7 in cell C as energy-saving MBSFN sub-frames, andconfigure sub-frame 2, sub-frame 3, sub-frame 8, and sub-frame 9 in cellC as unicast sub-frames. For detailed configuration method, referencemay be made to the previous embodiment, and details will not bedescribed herein again.

As shown in FIG. 8, a base station 800 provided in an embodiment of thepresent application includes an obtaining unit 810 and a configuringunit 820.

The obtaining unit 810 is configured to obtain information forconfiguring serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of an energy-saving cell; andthe configuring unit 820 configures serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of aneighboring cell of the energy-saving cell by alternating theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cell with theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell according to theinformation for configuring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theenergy-saving cell.

Optionally, the obtaining unit 810 may receive the information forconfiguring the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cellthrough an X2 interface, or an S1 interface, or an M2 interface, or anitf-N interface.

Optionally, the configuring unit 820 is further adapted to configure theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cell of theenergy-saving cell according to the received information for configuringthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell afterreceiving TOI information and/or THII information sent by the basestation of the energy-saving cell.

Optionally, when the base station 800 serves as a base station of theenergy-saving cell, the base station may further include a detectingunit 830, which is configured to: send TOI information to the basestation of the neighboring cell of the energy-saving cell when detectingthat interference of the energy-saving cell exceeds a preset threshold,or send THII information to the base station of the neighboring cell ofthe energy-saving cell when detecting that the energy-saving cell uses ahigh-interference sub-frame.

Optionally, when the base station 800 serves as a base station of theenergy-saving cell, the base station may further include a notifyingunit 840, which is configured to send a notification message to the basestation of the neighboring cell of the energy-saving cell when theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell change, where thenotification message is used for indicating the change of theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell. The change ofthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell includes:increasing or decreasing the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theenergy-saving cell; and the decreasing of the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of the energy-saving cell includes: sending an MBMS in theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell, or configuringthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell as unicastsub-frames or other service sub-frames. When the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames in the energy-saving cell decrease to zero, the energy-savingcell quits an energy-saving state.

Optionally, when the base station 800 serves as a base station of theneighboring cell, the base station may further include a receiving unit,which is configured to receive the notification message sent by theenergy-saving cell. In this case, the configuring unit 820 may befurther adapted to configure the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theneighboring cell according to the change of the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames indicated in the notification message.

The base station 800 provided in this embodiment can implement themethod embodiment shown in FIG. 3. In the technical solution provided inthis embodiment, the information for configuring the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of the energy-saving cell is transmitted between basestations, the configuration of the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames betweenneighboring cells is coordinated, and the serviceless MBSFN sub-framesof a cell alternate with the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theneighboring cells, thereby reducing interference between neighboringcells and improving stability of the system.

As shown in FIG. 9, a centralized control device 900 provided in anembodiment of the present application includes a receiving unit 910 anda configuring unit 920.

The receiving unit 910 is configured to receive information forconfiguring serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of an energy-saving cell from abase station. The configuring unit 920 is adapted to configureserviceless MBSFN sub-frames for a neighboring cell of the energy-savingcell by alternating the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the neighboringcell with the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cellaccording to the information for configuring the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of the energy-saving cell received by the receiving unit 910.

Optionally, the centralized control device may be an OAM system, or anMCE, or another device capable of implementing centralized control.Persons skilled in the art understand that in some scenarios, the basestation may also serve as a centralized control device to configureserviceless MBSFN sub-frames for the cells under other base station s.

Optionally, after receiving TOI information and/or THII information sentby the base station, the configuring unit 920 configures the servicelessMBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cell of the energy-saving cellaccording to the information for configuring the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of the energy-saving cell.

Optionally, the receiving unit 910 is further configured to receive anotification message sent by the base station of the energy-saving cell,where the notification message is used for indicating change of theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell. The change ofthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell includes:increasing or decreasing the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of theenergy-saving cell; and the decreasing of the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of the energy-saving cell includes: sending an MBMS in theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell, or configuringthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell as unicastsub-frames or other service sub-frames. When the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames in the energy-saving cell decrease to zero, the energy-savingcell quits an energy-saving state.

Optionally, after the receiving unit 910 receives the notificationmessage, the configuring unit 920 may further configure the servicelessMBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cell according to the change of theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames indicated in the notification message.

In the technical solution provided in this embodiment, the centralizedcontrol device coordinates configuration of the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames between neighboring cells, and therefore, the servicelessMBSFN sub-frames of a cell alternate with the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of the neighboring cells, thereby reducing interferencebetween neighboring cells and improving stability of the system.

As shown in FIG. 10, an embodiment of the present application provides asystem for configuring an energy-saving cell. The system includes thecentralized control device 900 shown in FIG. 9 and a base station 1100of an energy-saving cell. For the structure and functions of thecentralized control device 900, reference may be made to the embodimentsdescribed in the foregoing, and details will not be described hereinagain.

The base station 1100 of the energy-saving cell sends information forconfiguring serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell tothe centralized control device 900.

Optionally, the base station 1100 of the energy-saving cell is furtherconfigured to send TOI information to the centralized control device 900after detecting that interference of the energy-saving cell exceeds apreset threshold, or sends THII information to the centralized controldevice 900 after detecting that the energy-saving cell uses ahigh-interference sub-frame.

Optionally, the base station 1100 of the energy-saving cell is furtherconfigured to send a notification message to the centralized controldevice 900 when the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-savingcell change, where the notification message is used for indicating thechange of the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell.

The change of the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cellincludes: increasing or decreasing the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames ofthe energy-saving cell; and the decreasing of the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames of the energy-saving cell includes: sending an MBMS in theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell, or configuringthe serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the energy-saving cell as unicastsub-frames or other service sub-frames. When the serviceless MBSFNsub-frames in the energy-saving cell decrease to zero, the energy-savingcell quits an energy-saving state.

In the system for configuring an energy-saving cell in this embodiment,the centralized control device coordinates configuration of theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames between neighboring cells, and therefore,the serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of a cell alternate with theserviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the neighboring cells, thereby reducinginterference between neighboring cells and improving stability of thesystem.

Persons of ordinary skill in the art should understand that all or partof the steps of the method of the present application may be implementedby a computer program instructing relevant hardware. The program may bestored in a computer readable storage medium. When the program is run,the program executes the method specified in any embodiment of thepresent application. The storage medium may be a magnetic disk, anoptical disk, Read-Only Memory (ROM), or Random Access Memory (RAM).

Disclosed in the foregoing are the objectives, technical solution andbenefits of the embodiments of the present application. It should beunderstood that, the above descriptions are merely exemplary embodimentsof the present application, but are not intended to limit the protectionscope of the present application. Any modification, equivalentreplacement, or improvement made by persons skilled in the art withoutcreative efforts should fall within the protection scope of the presentapplication.

What is claimed is:
 1. A centralized control device, comprising: a receiver, configured to receive configuration information of a first cell, wherein the configuration information of the first cell comprises position information of one or more multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) sub-frames in a radio frame of the first cell; a processor, configured to configure a radio frame of a second cell according to the configuration information of the first cell to reduce interference between the first cell and the second cell; wherein the second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell.
 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor configures the radio frame of the second cell by arranging one or more MBSFN sub-frames in the radio frame of the second cell to be never or partly overlapping the one or more MBSFN sub-frames of the radio frame of the first cell.
 3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more MBSFN frames are serviceless MBSFN frames, and wherein a serviceless MBSFN frame is an idle sub-frame.
 4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the processor configures the radio frame of the second cell by arranging one or more serviceless MBSFN sub-frames in the radio frame of the second cell to be never or partly overlapping the one or more serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the radio frame of the first cell.
 5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a notification message for indicating a change of position information of the one or more serviceless MBSFN sub-frames in a radio frame of the first cell.
 6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the device is an operation administration maintenance (OAM) system or an multi-cell/multicast coordination entity (MCE).
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the configuration information is transmitted from the first cell through an itf-N interface.
 8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive at least one of time division interference overload indicator (TOI) information and time division high interference indication (THII) information sent from the first cell.
 9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is an operation administration maintenance (OAM) system or an multi-cell/multicast coordination entity (MCE).
 10. A method for configuring a cell, comprising: obtaining configuration information of a first cell, wherein the configuration information comprises position information of one or more multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) sub-frames in a radio frame of the first cell; configuring a radio frame of a second cell according to the configuration information of the first cell to reduce interference between the first cell and the second cell; wherein the second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell.
 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the radio frame of the second cell is configured by arranging one or more MBSFN sub-frames in the radio frame of the second cell to be never or partly overlapping the one or more MBSFN sub-frames of the radio frame of the first cell.
 12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the one or more MBSFN frames are serviceless MBSFN frames, and wherein a serviceless MBSFN frame is an idle sub-frame; and the radio frame of the second cell is configured by arranging one or more serviceless MBSFN sub-frames in the radio frame of the second cell to be never or partly overlapping the one or more serviceless MBSFN sub-frames in the radio frame of the first cell.
 13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: obtaining at least one of time division interference overload indicator (TOI) information and time division high interference indication (THII) information of the first cell.
 14. An apparatus, comprising: a memory, configured to store computer executable instructions; and a processor, coupled with the memory; wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to: obtain configuration information of a first cell, wherein the configuration information comprises position information of one or more multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) sub-frames in a radio frame of the first cell; and configure a radio frame of a second cell according to the configuration information of the first cell to reduce interference between the first cell and the second cell, wherein the second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the processor configures the radio frame of the second cell by arranging one or more MBSFN sub-frames in the radio frame of the second cell to be never or partly overlapping the one or more MBSFN sub-frames in the radio frame of the first cell.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the one or more MBSFN frames are serviceless MBSFN frames, and wherein a serviceless MBSFN frame is an idle sub-frame.
 17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the processor configures the radio frame of the second cell by arranging one or more serviceless MBSFN sub-frame of the second cell to be never or partly overlapping the one or more serviceless MBSFN sub-frames in the radio frame of the first cell.
 18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the apparatus to obtain a notification message for indicating a change of configuration of the one or more serviceless MBSFN sub-frames of the first cell.
 19. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising: a receiver, configured to receive the configuration information of the first cell.
 20. The base station according to claim 19, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive at least one of time division interference overload indicator (TOI) information and time division high interference indication (THII) information sent from the first cell. 